Join the campaign: ‘Choose Respect’

Between 2001 and 2011, Alaska State Troopers responded to 40,796 domestic violence offenses. The 2010 Alaska Victimization Survey discovered that 37.1 percent of Alaska women have experienced sexual violence.

These are not numbers that shine a nice light on our state. To help increase public awareness of the problem and lead the way to eradicating it, Gov. Sean Parnell launched his “Choose Respect” initiative three years ago. The program has become a cornerstone of his administration and has gained momentum over time.

Locally, Alaska Family Services has picked up the ball — and echoed the theme — with its own “Valley Men Choose Respect” campaign, which launches this week. Valley Men Choose Respect is an eight-week public awareness effort designed to prevent violence against women by encouraging men to speak out against domestic violence and model respect through their words and actions.

This is a fitting project for Alaska Family Services. Established in 1979 to respond to the needs of women and children in crisis, AFS has grown into a broad network of individual counseling support groups, legal advocacy and family violence intervention programs.

AFS also operates the only nationally accredited domestic violence/sexual assault shelter in the state. In fiscal year 2012, the 32-bed shelter served 89 women and 121 children for a total of 7,582 shelter-nights.

Also in 2012, the 24-hour crisis hotline at AFS received 953 calls.

This data should make us all uncomfortable. But it should also make it clear why the Valley Men Choose Respect campaign is under way.

Eight prominent local men have stepped up to be part of the initiative, which will include a series of weekly ads appearing in this newspaper that will highlight a message that is part of the unifying “choose respect” theme.

Our Valley Life story today, appearing on page A11, features Al Strawn, CEO of Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union, who is first of the eight men participating in the Valley Men Choose Respect campaign. There is also a personal statement from him on our op-ed section, A7.

The next seven editions of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman will follow this same pattern of highlighting the campaign’s message and spokesman of the week. Future editions will showcase Palmer District Attorney Roman Kalytiak, First National Bank Alaska Senior Vice President Craig Thorn, Mat-Su Borough School District administrator Lebron McPhail, former state Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Bill Hogan, musician and sobriety advocate Paul Pike, and MTA CEO Greg Berberich.

The Frontiersman is proud to be a part of spreading the important message of the Valley Men Choose Respect campaign. Only through collective action and firm resolve can we rid our community of the scourge of domestic violence.